Opinion: The Case for Trump

The first day of the Democratic National Convention was yesterday, July5, 2016. This opinion piece written by MetroJacksonville.com member, Spuwho, provides a reasoned perspective to support Donald Trump (and forgo Hillary Clinton). When your done reading this piece check out the editorial, Hillary Clinton is Fundamentally Honest

In my short lifespan, I can't recall a US presidential election having such dramatic, yet strong opinions. There was a lot of angst in 1968 when Vietnam was in full force, and there was a battle between Nixon and Goldwater on how exactly to deal with it.

A lot of noise was made in 1979 during the Iran hostage crisis. People were upset on how impotent our government looked, and that bug of inflation was still running its course. People were pretty fed up, it seemed.

But the one thing that has been common in my experience with presidential elections is that the nominees had several characteristics that they carried forward into their path for election.

They were usually lifetime politicians. The kind that worked their way up through a local or state office, with handshakes and kisses for the voters at large. They kept doing this through each cycle, building a foundation of chips to play and chips to be given when it was required. Fundraisers for each party were well known and vetted, primped and prepared to unload the requisite dollars at the right time and influence the right people at the right time.

This approach usually played out in policy as well. There were platforms to maintain, general party directions to lay out and as part of the give and take of consolidating a platform, compromises. Each faction within a particular party would lay out their goals and depending on where the power and the money lived, these goals were hashed out, sorted out, prioritized and argued over until a formal direction was set up. Many of these directions came from the aspiring nominee. The party wanted to make sure the front-runner had the agenda and traction from the supporting party to make these things happen.

Then comes Donald Trump.

Sounding like the theme song from the 1970's sitcom, "Maude", "....and then there's Trump....right on Trump....".

Donald Trump arrives on the scene, and there are many differences between him and what we have seen for the past 60 years. Donald Trump hasn't had to win a local election. Donald Trump hasn't had to shake hands and kiss babies, fundraisers, collect chips and dispense them as political favors.

This is what makes Donald Trump somewhat appealing to the electorate. Trump won't have to spend his presidential career paying back a political favor from 25 years prior. He won't have to listen to some lobby saying "hey, we funded you when you were nobody, you owe us," because, well, Trump made his own money.

This lack of "experience" is why Trump so quickly makes tweet gaffes or says the right things the wrong way. He hasn't had to temper his thoughts between his brain and his tongue. If he feels a certain way, well then gosh darn it, he says it, whether you like it or not.

Many people find this incredibly refreshing because it comes across as rank honesty. Sure, some of the things Trump says requires a back step periodically, but how many other politicians do we know that have had to back-step their remarks as well? Plenty.

So why would a voting American take an interest in someone, who has never been vetted beyond what he can provide on a balance sheet?